A statewide Susan Collins Maine voter poll released Wednesday shows Troy Jackson ahead of Susan Collins 48-46% in the Maine Senate race. The lead sits inside a close contest, with the poll also showing 55% of Maine voters worry Collins aligns with President Donald Trump too often.
Troy Jackson and Susan Collins
Jackson is a Democratic challenger and former president of the Maine Senate, and he is a fifth-generation logger from Allagash. Collins has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997 and won her fifth term in 2020 by nearly 9 percentage points, which makes the new numbers a narrower picture than her last victory.
The poll also put Jackson ahead among voters who said they are certain to vote, 50-46%. Among women, Jackson led by 4 points, while men were evenly divided. His strongest groups included liberals, women with a college degree, and voters under age 35.
Donald Trump and Maine
The race carries a clear crosscurrent. Sixty-one percent of Jackson supporters said they are mainly voting against Collins, while 36% said they are voting for Jackson. On the Collins side, 71% said they are voting mainly for her, and 27% said they are voting against Jackson.
That split leaves the contest closer to a referendum on Collins than a simple two-candidate choice. The poll found 43% of Maine voters worried Jackson is too close to the Democratic Socialist movement, but concern about Collins and Trump was higher, and independents were more worried about Collins being too close to Trump by a 14-point margin than they were about Jackson and the Democratic Socialists.
Graham Platner and July
Jackson became the nominee in July after Graham Platner withdrew amid an assault allegation. That change left Maine voters with a new Democratic nominee just as the general election race tightened.
For voters deciding late, the practical takeaway is simple: the margin is close enough that turnout and late movement can matter, and the poll shows Collins still faces the sharper concern over Donald Trump ties. Jackson’s lead is small, but the data point to a race still being decided by who turns out and why they choose to vote.
